The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-02-27
HUMAN CURIOSITIES.
THE TROUBLES WHICH a MAN
HUNTER EXPERIENCED IN ASIA.

HUNTER EXPERIENCED IN ASIA.
The Todzs and the Afghans-A Strange
Race Whose Ruling Rsssae. is Av.r-
fce-The veddss Of Ceylon-Nautch
Girls--Missionaries.
1t is two years since Barnum's show was
in St. Louis, and it will be remembered that
one of its features was the sD-called ethno1og-
ical congress, consisting Of representatives Of
eight races found in the Orient, certain
islands of the Pacific ocean and Australia.
Few who saw them stopped to consider the
difficulty in obtaining the consent a these
people TO leave their welcomes Ystene
man spent more than two yearssDljng a1ter
them This was Thomas II. Davis, who
was sent to the far east by Barnum In 1882
to collect representatives Of various peculiar
people for his circus. Davis executed bis
commission in two years, returning to Amer
lea in 1884 with thirty two people. Two Of
those whom Davis brought to America died,
and the others returned to their native land.
1t proved too cold for then; they lost inter
est in the country after few months and
lon2ed to see thsir sslaftvsa To the students
OF the human race the mast interesting speci-
m in the collsction were the Todas and
Afghans, the first thaS had ever been induced
to leave their country. The former Is .
strange race, OF rather rsnpant, and have
only been known to Europeaps within the
last twenty years.
Thee Toias, - aid Mr.. Dagis, s'hve i'm
the Neilgherry mountain n 1ndfas cd are
not more than $50 in nnnsbr. EAaV are
extremely exclusive, and = thsy hap high
up in the mountains littlo a thair hisoosy or
characteristics II known. From what i
learned they live IN mall hu1n, not more
than five feet high, and fsed upon min, re-
fusing meat or anything wifh NJ Their
religion is different fro9 anyohlaG n India,
and no one seems to know 49, - h0w the
worshiped. They have psiasb Who keep
away from public notes, living always in
huts, fed by TIE people. Il - known that
who was said to have ssven husbands. Ny
interpreter explained the paarriage custom.
When girl reached . marriageable age her
father sold her The price h paid in buff
faloes, IF which they have large herds.
After this marriage when ths vito desires
she chooses another husband, who buys into
partnership, so to speak, by paying bu6alOs
to the first husband, who divides with the
father. l had a hard time getting these
people to leave their mountain, only by
tempting their avarice did succeed in get
ting two men to go with me. was particu-
larly anxious to get them on account a their
total difference from any race had seen in
India. They were whittier than the Others
and had q decidedly Hebrew cast Of counts-
nance Their ruling passion YVES ayarice,
and they used their sharp intelle0es 70 acQnire
everything possible. Ons Of than carried
this to a humorous extent. In coming over
ON shipboard he learned several English
words, and used them to beg articlssL Twas
the only one he respected, and hs undertook
to supply me with cigars. When We reached
New York about 300 prominent men were
invited to have a private view OF the tribes.
Well, sir that Toda boned every last visitor
for some article. II he did not get what he
pointed to he would end with:
"Tsigar,' meaning . cigar. He asked
Henry Ward Beecher, a. well - the othsss,
and after the show was over presented M
with fifteen cigars. After that he learned
to discriminate between good ard bod cigass,
and only asked well dressed Visitors for them.
When he left the country he I'D . trunk
full of articles which he had collected. His
favorite question was .IntWalaonr meaning
What's the price, His eompanion died In
Providence, R. l., Of . lung trouble.
"Afghans are VIGOROUSLY lovers Of their
country, and gave up the attsmpt to GIT
any of them I went to Cabulto hune for .
Monaghan dwarf who was sid - - thsre,
and mentioned the object Of my visit 70 the
British minister, whose power In Afghenisten
Is almost absolute. He mentioned 10 me
that two Afghans were chainsd in dungeon
awaiting death for having made - aSesnpe
from political motives q H. kfs q . high
official, and suggested that IL would tAke
them out of the country and nsvss hing
them back he would have them placsA in nv
custody That II how I cane 70 have
Afghans in the collection They were kill
full swordsmen aud gave spectators cold
chills when they got warmed TO their work.
Most Of the other peopas wsrS Hindoos,
Burmese and Parsses. They were cunmo0
lot, spent their money On opium, candy AID
| such things as circus liz a6ordsl visited
| many tribes, and oftsn failed to gse rupgs-
seutatives owing TO their unWillinGneD 20
| leave. India Is full Of FemnA1xs - GtE1nge
races, that stick to their native sod nm
tempted by promisss, money o. pictures Of
| other lands. / went into the Hinaalaya
mountains but was stopped In the confines
| Of Thibet / also heard Of o strange racs Of
| white men said to live north Of Afghanistan
who were described as being Of large frams,
white faces, blue eyes and blonde hair.
| Therc were traditions about them, hut
| could not locate them precisely. I went 20
| Siam and China but took mono Of the natives
\ Of the towns, and feared 30 pierce tie ~
! terror owing to the danger.
Il paid visit to the island Of Ceyloa,
| where Lad hc ard Of the Veddas. Thsso ere
| the native wild men, and 30 scarce and hard
| to find that many OF the inhabitants Of The
| island had never seen them onally hired
4 man to kiinap Vetida- In this way
got two of them, and they would have
| proved great cuIosi:ics lad they been
brought to -,merica- 1 was forced to turn
them lO0ss after five days, bccause they 70
! fused II ut. brink, move or speak, simpay
I ylarcd .I their Ecepers- i brought over an
| inhabitant of one Of the Andaman Islands,
in the La OF Bengal, vicious. Wild fellow,
who grew rather quiet and docile before we
| reached America
| girls in the collection i bad = great deal ol
trouble in securing them, because this class
| IF females made living for their parents at
home, and although DESTROYS Of going with